Although most people relieved by the poor law were old, sick or orphans, from 1884 onwards the statistics do not just identify "able-bodied" males, meaning those not aged or permanently disabled, but further separate out those receiving payments in cash and kind for reasons other than sickness. The most important such reason was lack of work, but most unemployed workers were unable or unwilling to claim relief from the poor law system. This number is presented here as a percentage of all males aged 15 to 64, as recorded by the Census of Population (generally using data for the registration unit exactly matching the poor law unit, but sometimes assembling data for lower-level registration units).


How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, England and Wales Dep through time | Historical Statistics on Work & Poverty for the Country | Rate: Outdoor Poor Relief to Able-Bodied Males "in Health", A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10001043/rate/OUT_ABM_PAUPER_NOTSICK

Date accessed: 19th October 2024